Penny quietly poured out the jar full of coins on to her bed, using her blanket to muffle the sound. She counted them carefully, separating them by denomination, then putting each pile of like coins in a separate cloth pouch. She was nearly buzzing with excitement; she'd have enough to buy what she wanted!

She loaded her purse with pouches of coins. Then she grabbed her shoes and tiptoed past her sleeping mother, out of the trailer. After gently closing and locking the door, she sat on the plastic chair and got her shoes on.

She stood slowly, taking care not to make the chair knock into the metal wall of the trailer. Then she held her purse with both hands and broke into a silent jog toward the town square. As she passed the Stardrop Saloon, she heard a whistle.

"Hey, Sensei!" Sam waved and jogged up to her. "What's the hurry?"

"Nothing anymore," she said. She brushed her bangs out of her face. "Just trying to get out of the house before my mom wakes up."

"How come?"

"Because I actually have spending money and something to spend it on. And if my mother knew that, she'd send me to Joja to pick up beer or headache pills for her." She rolled her eyes and took a deep breath. "I already buy most of the groceries; all of my food and all of the pantry staples come from my pay. She only buys the frozen dinners. I buy my clothes, I buy my shoes, I pay the rent when she can't…"

"Tell me about it!" Sam laughed. "I've been trying to save up for winter boots for years! And something always happens to wipe out my savings...I get hurt, or Vincent gets hurt, or something breaks in the house…" He gave Penny a tired smile. "I'm just glad Sebastian pays for the pool table on Friday nights and gets me a Joja Cola. What are you buying, anyway?"

"A bouquet."

"WHAT!" Sam roared with laughter. "For who?"

"Maru."

"Oh my Yoba, that's freaking awesome!" He laughed again. "That totally makes sense, too, I always knew you two were close. Maybe not that close, but then again, maybe so. I mean, you are always together lately."

"I know, right?" Penny giggled. "I'm so nervous, though. I mean, what if she doesn't like me in the same way? What if she just thinks of me as a big sister type?" She sighed and looked at her well-worn shoes. "And honestly, there's nothing like falling for someone rich and beautiful and interesting to remind me of how poor and plain I really am."

"Penelope Fern, you stop that talk right now! And yes I will use your middle name! Being poor is not a fault. And you are not half as plain as you think. You are beautiful. You are nice, and helpful, and creative...you're one of those people who just radiates warmth and kindness, like a young and pretty Granny Evelyn."

Penny gave him a nervous laugh.

Sam gave her a hearty pat on the back, right between the shoulder blades, and nudged her toward Pierre's. "Now get in there and buy that bouquet for your girl!"

"Thanks, Sam." She walked up to the door of Pierre's, took a breath, and went inside.

"Good morning, Penny! I just got a shipment of melons, fresh from the greenhouse!"

"No thank you," she said quickly, "I'm here for a bouquet, please."

"How sweet!" Pierre opened the cooler behind the counter and pulled out a bouquet. He wrapped it in paper. "And what's your sweetie's favorite color?"

"Purple."

"Then I'll tie it with an iridium purple ribbon." Pierre wrapped ribbon around the paper and deftly tied a big bow. "That'll be 200G, please."

"Got it!" Penny excitedly reached in her purse and pulled out four pouches. She set them down on the counter. "Here's 100," she said as she pointed, "here's fifty, here's thirty, and here's twenty, for a total of 200."

Pierre opened each pouch, counting it out as it went into the register. "I'm not used to seeing this much change."

Penny cringed. "Sorry...I've been saving my coins."

"No, don't worry about it, please!" Pierre gave her a warm smile. "Good luck."

Penny put the pouches back in her purse and picked up the bouquet. This was getting real! "Thank you, Pierre."

She left the shop and immediately headed up the mountain. Without a backpack, she had to carry the bouquet in her arms. It was a big one! She hoped Demetrius and Robin would be out; she wanted a quiet moment with Maru alone. As she got up to the house, she slowed down to catch her breath.

With another deep breath to calm her nerves, Penny opened the door. She saw Robin standing at the register, and fought to keep a straight face.

"Penny! Hi! I'm guessing that's not for me."

Penny forced a little giggle. "You're right. But next time I can get a peach, I'll bring it up."

"That's so sweet! Thanks." She gestured to her right. "Maru's in her room."

Penny walked in without knocking, just as she'd done for years. She found Maru elbows-deep in a piece of medical equipment, with parts scattered all over the floor of her room. Her hair was covered with a bandanna, wild curls sticking out the back.

"Maru…?"

"Hi Penny! Just a second!" Maru clunked around in the machine for a couple seconds, set her wrench down, and climbed to her feet. "What's up?"

The bouquet caught Maru's attention. Her eyes widened.

Penny stepped forward. "It's for you."

"You want to get more serious?" She breathed a sigh of relief. "I feel the same way."

"I'm glad." Penny handed Maru the bouquet.

Maru took the flowers in one hand, and wrapped Penny up in a hug with her other arm. "This is awesome, Penny. Thank you. I'm about due for a break, so I'll put these in water and make us some coffee. You take yours with just cream, right?"